More young people ending up on streets

MORE homeless individuals in the city are coming from the under-25 age bracket with drug usage also on the increase, according to the organisation that takes people off the streets every night of the year.

The COPE charity this week told the Galway City Tribune that the younger age profile of people on the streets with no place to stay at night – along with increased drugs usage – were major concerns.

Martin O’Connor, Assistant CEO of COPE, said that along with housing needs, a priority requirement for the homeless was a specialist detox and rehabilitation centre in the city.

“Addiction continues to be a major problem, with alcohol the number one offender, but over the past year or so there also seems to have been an increase in drug usage, such as in the smoking of heroin,” said Martin O’Connor.

He added that at present, the normal treatment route was via the A&E unit of UHG, a system that often just wasn’t accessible enough for people in need of urgent help.

“The provision of a specialist detox and rehabilitation centre in the city would be a great stepping stone for people who desperately need specialist help,” said Martin O’Connor.

He said that the Fairgreen Hostel provided accommodation for 35 male residents while they also put a Cold Weather Response plan in place for the winter period that last year allowed them to provide sleeping accommodation for an additional nine people.

“Not very often, but here and there, we are faced with the dilemma of telling someone that we have no room for them, and this is one of the most difficult things for our staff to do.

“We do also provide a sleeping bag service in cases, where for one reason or another, people do not want to come into the hostel. At least by providing them with a sleeping bag on the street, some level of protection against the rain and the cold can be provided,” said Martin O’Connor.

 COPE employ eight full time staff, to provide ‘24/7’ cover for people who come in off the street with no place to stay. In addition to sleeping accommodation, COPE also provide an evening meal and breakfast for residents. They also have many people who provide their services on a voluntary basis.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.